8 Tips For Squarespace Blogging: Simplify Writing And Publishing A Blog Post
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The Squarespace platform offers you great tools to maximize SEO. One way to boost your site’s SEO organically is by uploading blog posts on a regular basis. But how do you upload a blog the right way?
Whether you’ve already written a post using your favorite word processor and you’re now ready to publish it, or you want to write directly in the Squarespace platform, our quick tips will help you get your articles online quickly and easily.
Table of Contents in Detail Hide
Access The Site’s Backend
From your website’s backend, find and click on “Pages.”
Scroll down your Main Navigation menu until you find “Articles,” which you’ll use for your blogs. This item has a pen icon next to it.
Once you’re in the Articles menu, click on the Plus Sign symbol near the top. Now you are ready to begin working on your first blog post. Follow these steps to get all the way through to publishing your post.
1. Enter A Post Title
At the top of your first blog post, you have the opportunity to write a title. You can create a new title right on the page, or you can copy and paste the title you’ve already written in your word processor.
When creating a unique title, keep a few things in mind. You’ll want a title that:
Clearly and concisely tells the reader what this blog is about
Is compelling and makes the reader want to keep reading
Helps boost your Squarespace SEO by including a key phrase search engines can easily find
2. Add Text And Other Relevant Content
The bulk of your blog post consists of text – the words that make up your article. Here’s where you will copy what you’ve written in a document you created with your word processor, or where you will write an article from scratch.
Either way, keep in mind that every paragraph you write is an opportunity to generate better Squarespace SEO for your site. Your blog writing should:
Be engaging, informative, and useful to your readers
Be top-quality, of a professional caliber
Include keywords for building your organic Squarespace SEO
Use keywords in the right frequency – having too many keywords leads to “stuffing” and search engine penalties, while not having enough keywords means your site won’t show up prominently in searches
In addition to writing text, you’ll have the option to include other content and elements in your blog post, such as:
Buttons
Images
Galleries
Videos
Forms
Spacers
Audio
Summary
And more
3. Add Categories And Tags
Once you’ve written your title and blog text and added elements like an attractive image and a well-produced video, you might think you’re done. In reality, though, you’re just getting started!
When you hover above the title at the very top of the page, you’ll see a box pop out. This is the Blog Post Settings box, and it gives you the power to make some important things happen.
Specifically, you’ll want to add Categories and Tags. You can do so by taking these steps:
In your Blog Post Settings box, start with “Content”
Click on “Categories”
Where it says, “Add categories here,” add as many as you need (e.g. Category One, Category Two, etc.)
Click the “<Back” tab in the box
Click on “Tags”
Where it says, “Add tags here,” add however many you need (e.g. Tag 1, Tag 2, Tag 3, etc.)
Here’s a quick overview of what categories and tags actually are. If we use the brand Nike as an example, categories would be shoes, clothing, and accessories. Tags would be more specific items, such as a type of shoe or a type of garment. Categories are more general; tags are more focused.
4. Add A Thumbnail Image
Image Source: Unsplash
Within your Blog Post Settings box, click on the next item in the menu, which is “Options.” Then add a thumbnail image using the “Search For Images” button, selecting an image from your library.
Remember that you can add many images to your library and use them for your pages and any future blog posts. Images in your library can be ones you or your photographers have taken to highlight products and services. They can be logos or designs. They can also be stock images. You have many options to choose from for each blog you write and post.
5. Post URL
Still within the “Options” portion of your Blog Post Settings box, you’ll see the “Post URL” section. Squarespace automatically generates URLs for your posts, but you can create and specify a custom URL for each post. This is a must-do if you want to improve user experience and your Squarespace SEO.
The URL that is automatically generated for your blog by Squarespace is useless. You’ll need to change it to something that lets Google know what it is. For example, if your blog is about digital marketing strategies, change the post URL to the following:
/articles/digital-marketing-strategies
6. Add An Excerpt & SEO
We’re still milking “Options” for everything it’s worth. In this step, still under the “Options” portion of the Blog Post Settings box, scroll down and locate the “Excerpt” box that lets you write in text. Here you’ll want to write a description that includes some Squarespace SEO mixed in.
This excerpt could also double up as your SEO description, which is under the SEO tab in the side menu within the box. Head there next to take a look. You’ll find “SEO Title” and “SEO Description.”
You can keep the SEO description fairly simple and straightforward, or you could customize it further, if you wish. If you leave the SEO title blank, the platform will pull the blog post’s natural title without any additional work needed on your part.
7. Select A Social Sharing Image
Going back to the Blog Post Settings menu, you’ll find “Social Image.” Go ahead and click on that. Here you can add an image that will show up when someone shares your blog on social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter.
8. Schedule Your Post
One of the powerful features of Squarespace for blogging is the ability to schedule in advance when your posts will appear.
This feature provides you with convenience and other benefits, including the following:
Being able to write several blogs in advance and schedule them out over several weeks
Having the freedom to write when you have time and then post at a date and time when you’re most likely to reach more readers
Coordinating your blog publish date with ad campaigns, email campaigns, and promos you’re running
To schedule when your post will be published, go back to your Blog Post Settings box and follow these steps:
Select “Content”
The first item that appears is “Status” – go ahead and click on “Draft” on that line
At the end of the options listed, click on “Scheduled”
You’ll see a calendar appear
Select the date when you want your blog to be published
Choose the time that it will post
When you’re done, select Save (not Publish, because this post will be published at a later date)
Now your post is ready to go and scheduled to appear on your site on the specified date.
At this point, you can go ahead and write other blog posts, repeating the process outlined here, and scheduling them for publication a week or so apart. This enables you to generate a lot of content in one sitting and schedule out multiple blogs weeks in advance.
Bonus Squarespace For Blogging Pro Tip
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To save you time in future blogs, create a blog template that you can use over and over. You’ll be saving this template as a blog draft. Simply go back to it every time you create a new blog. It will already have the settings you need, which means you can skip some of the steps and save considerable time.
In other words, you won’t need to set up your blogs from scratch each time. Simply start with the blog template you’ve created and make the necessary adjustments without having to reinvent the wheel each time.
To start a new blog post from your template, find the three dots next to the draft (your template) and click “Duplicate” to start your new blog from the exact spot you previously left off.
The Power Of This Process
By following the above steps to publish blog posts on your Squarespace site efficiently, you’ll enjoy a number of benefits. They include:
Having a clear, consistent method for publishing blog posts
Ensuring each post is optimized for Google
Getting your posts optimized for user experience
Publishing great-looking blog posts every time
Having a strategy for building Squarespace SEO organically over time
Need More Help?
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You’ll also find our weekly newsletter with SEO tips to be solutions-oriented, created to help you troubleshoot issues quickly and get the most from your Squarespace site. Launch Happy offers industry insights and SEO advice you can use. Reach out for expert help today.
